Gaming Whistleblower: They're Using Video Games To Control Your Mind

What if your favourite video game was spying on you?
Gaming isn't just entertainment anymore. With more than 3.5 billion players worldwide, it's become one of the most powerful cultural battlegrounds on Earth. From Beijing and Moscow to Riyadh, Washington and beyond, governments are investing billions in gaming—not just for profit, but to shape narratives and influence young audiences.

This week on The Tea, we're joined by leading video games expert and author George Osborn to expose how states, corporations and political movements are turning the games we play into the next frontier of information warfare.

Also in the show:
⚡ China's crackdown on gaming
⚡ Roblox: the world's first digital nation?
⚡ Hamza Saada and the democratisation of gaming
⚡ Gamergate: where the far-right found its voice
⚡ From Britain to Saudi Arabia and Russia: gaming as a tool of state power
⚡ Can gaming escape surveillance and political manipulation?

Gaming is no longer just about play. As our guest argues, it has become one of the defining arenas where politics, culture and power collide—and understanding it is essential to understanding the world we're living in.

#TheTeaWithMyriamFrancois #GeorgeOsborn #Gaming #VideoGames #Politics #Geopolitics #Technology #News #CurrentAffairs #farright #USPolitics #UKPolitics

AUDIO CREDITS
Presenter–Producer: Dr. Myriam François
Guest: George Osborn
Senior Producer: Sara Farolfi
Producer: Sana Serroukh
Assistant Producer: Poppy Jacobs
Research: Aliza Kayan-Ahmed and Iman Saleh
Video Editor: Max Bubnov
An MPWR Productions show.

00:00:00 Introduction – The Secret War Inside Video Games
00:02:44 Why Gaming Is One of the World's Most Powerful Cultural Forces
00:05:28 How Video Games Became the New Public Square
00:09:12 Gaming, Addiction and the Myths About Social Isolation
00:14:17 Digital IDs, Surveillance and the Future of Online Freedom
00:20:14 Roblox, Child Safety and Who Really Controls Digital Worlds
00:27:29 Gaming Influencers Are Changing Political Opinion
00:35:37 How Gaming Predicted Trump's Election Victory
00:38:17 Gamergate, Steve Bannon and the Rise of the Online Right
00:46:07 How Extremists Recruit Inside Gaming Communities
00:51:33 Governments Are Weaponizing Video Games
01:08:50 Can Gaming Strengthen Democracy Instead?

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